What should you charge per hour?

Enter the income you want to keep and the time you really work. You get the lowest rate that still gets you there, with every step shown.

Your goal

Currency

Yearly take-home, after tax

Tax rate

Use your own effective rate. This is an estimate, not tax advice.

Your costs

Business expenses per year

Software, hardware, hosting, coworking, accounting.

Insurance and retirement per year

Treated as a cost before tax, to keep things simple.

Safety buffer

Covers slow months and unpaid work.

Your time

Vacation weeks per year

Sick and public holiday days

Working days per week

Hours per working day

Share of hours you can bill

Emails, admin and finding clients are not billable. 50–70% is common for solo freelancers.

How the number is built

Minimum hourly rate

–

–Day rate

–Monthly retainer

Your current hourly rate

The rate you need falls as your billable share rises. Raising your price is the other lever.

Billable share	Hourly rate	Day rate

Income and tax tracker, invoice templates (Excel and Word), a services agreement and a project proposal template. One payment, yours to keep.

Estimates only. Taxes and costs differ by country: check your local rules before you set prices.